Inventories Rose by 0.4%
In July, Outpaced by Sales

WASHINGTON -- Business inventories started creeping up in July, but sales rose at an even faster pace, a combination that seems to portend continued stable economic growth.

The 0.4% month-to-month increase in inventories was the first jump, and the largest, since April, the Commerce Department said. Revised figures showed inventories were flat in June. Sales grew 1.2%, also the biggest increase since April. As a result, the total...